Sewage treatment process

Abstract

Sewage is subjected to a sudden pressure release to break up the organic solids particles for improving subsequent treatment or separation operations.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A process of treating aqueous sewage material containing organic solids particles during flow of such material, including subjecting said material to a positive pressure in a first zone in a receptacle, flowing such material abruptly from such zone of positive pressure downward through a generally vertical conduit in a manner to provide a reactor zone of near absolute zero pressure subjacent said receptacle and full conduit flow beneath said reactor zone, precluding entry of air into said reactor zone, flowing such material from said zone of positive pressure into and through said reactor zone at high velocity, causing water vapor and gases suddenly to be separated and released in said material in said reactor zone, and permitting such water vapor and gases to expand suddenly in said reactor zone, thereby rupturing organic solids particles in said sewage material by the sudden expansion of such water vapor and gases and thereby disintegrating said particles into substantially smaller particles. 
     
     
       2. A process as in claim 1 wherein said material flows from said positive pressure first zone into the near absolute zero pressure area of said reactor zone in about 1/10 second or less. 
     
     
       3. A process as in claim 2 wherein the positive pressure on said material in said first zone is equal to a pressure head of about 10 feet of water. 
     
     
       4. A process of treating aqueous sewage material containing organic solids particles during flow of such material, including subjecting said material to a positive pressure in a first zone, flowing such material abruptly from such zone of positive pressure into and through a reactor zone of near absolute zero pressure at high velocity while excluding air from said zone, causing water vapor and gases suddenly to be separated and released in said material in said reactor zone, and permitting such water vapor and gases to expand suddenly in said reactor zone, thereby rupturing organic solids particles in said sewage material by the sudden expansion of such water vapor and gases and thereby disintegrating said particles into substantially smaller particles. 
     
     
       5. A process as in claim 4 comprising establishing a pool of said material with a portion of said material in said pool being under superatmospheric pressure, flowing said material from a superatmospheric pressure zone in said pool through a conduit, and establishing such reactor zone of near absolute zero pressure in said conduit adjacent said pool, wherein said material flows from said superatmospheric pressure zone directly into said reactor zone. 
     
     
       6. A process as in claim 5 including establishing said zone of near absolute zero pressure by gravity flow of said material from said reactor zone and controlling the inflow to said reactor zone. 
     
     
       7. A process as in claim 6 wherein said conduit extends vertically downward directly from said pool. 
     
     
       8. A process as in claim 7 including discharging said material from said conduit into a plunge pool. 
     
     
       9. A process as in claim 8 including adding biological sludge in said plunge pool. 
     
     
       10. A process as in claim 5 including subjecting such comminuted solids to bacterial processing, and adding a portion of the resulting sludge to said material in said pool. 
     
     
       11. A process as in claim 4 including adding biological sludge to said material prior to such sudden reduction in pressure.